Richard A. Passman
Richard A. Passman (born June 30, 1925 in Cedarhurst, New York ; died April 11, 2020 in Silver Spring , Maryland ) was an American aerospace engineer who specialized in, among other things, supersonic flight , ICBMs and satellites concerned.
Life
Passman was born to Matthew and Ethel Passman. His father was a partner in an insurance company. The middle initial "A" given to him by his parents had no further meaning. Passman graduated from the University of Michigan . He obtained a bachelor's degree in flight engineering here in 1944 and another bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1946 . He also obtained a master’s degree in flight engineering in 1947 .
He started his professional career at Bell Aircraft . Here he was involved in the development of the Bell X-1 and Bell X-2 supersonic aircraft . He was then instrumental in the development of the Bell X-16 spy plane , which was not used in practice, as the Pentagon decided on the competing product Lockheed U-2 . He then moved to General Electric in 1957 , where he now dealt with space problems, especially with regard to the problem of heat generation when re-entering the earth's atmosphere. Much of his work there was kept confidential. As far as is known today, Passman was involved in the development of the United States ' first spy satellite . He also developed heat shields for ICBMs. He became general manager for General Electric's space operations.
In retirement, he wrote the 2014 book X-15: The World's Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots Who Ushered in the Space Age with John D. Anderson . The book was described as being relatively brief, albeit with a comprehensive history of the aircraft's development.
Passman spent his old age in Florida with his wife . After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , his son persuaded him to move to a retirement home in Silver Springs. Shortly after the move on March 15, 2020, this retirement home had to be closed due to COVID-19 cases. On April 11, Passman died of complications from COVID-19.
Web links
- John Schwartz, Richard Passman, Space-Age Engineer Who Kept His Secrets, Dies at 94 , New York Times April 16, 2020.
- Joe Juliano, Richard Passman: Pioneer in the aerospace industry , The Inquirer, April 17, 2020.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jeff Foust, Review: X-15 , The Space Review, February 10, 2014.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Passman, Richard A. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Passman, Richard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aerospace engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 30, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cedarhurst (New York) |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 11, 2020 |
| Place of death | Silver Spring |